Sabra and Shatila Massacre (1982)

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A massacre committed by Lebanese Christian militia Kataeb (Phalanges) against Palestinian residents of the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut, Lebanon, on 16–18 September 1982. As part of the 1982 Lebanon War, the IDF placed a siege on western Beirut, considered to be a PLO stronghold. As part of a tentative ceasefire agreement, PLO forces relocated to Tunisia in August 1982, but Israel and its Christian allies feared the continued presence of Palestinian fighters in the city. On 14 September, Lebanon's Christian president, Bachir Gemayel, was assassinated. In response, Kataeb forces entered the camps, ostensibly to clear remaining militants, and proceeded to kill several hundred Palestinians. Israel, the dominant force in the area, was widely blamed for ignoring and even abetting the massacre. Following a mass demonstration in Israel, the Kahan Commission was established to investigate Israeli involvement. The commission's report was published on 7 February 1983, and charged senior members of Israel's security establishment with indirect responsibility to the massacre, recommending that Defense Minister Ariel Sharon be removed from office.